-Corbin freezes, feeling the press of your lips against his skin as your arms enfold his neck 'I...' He seems unable to speak, much like the time you climbed on him when you thought something nipped your bottom back in the pool. 'Just be sympathetic' you urge and he staggers back as the Aurim wails 'How could I be the last one? There were so many. No! No this can;t be true!' He roars out of dispair and fury and Corbin seems to recover. He shakes free of you, wrapping ar arm around you to draw you to his chest while holding the blade off 'Be still, beast!' But Aurim does not listen. He wails and creeps toward the door 'I will look for the others. I will find them. They must live.' He starts calling out names loudly, enough to make the mirror on the wall shake and the items along the table to rattle. 'lease...' you begin but he is too busy calling out to hear you. The window shatters and the Aurim bursts through the doors. You try to run after it and Corbin wraps an arm around your waist 'Where in the world do you think you're going. He's gone mad! Leave him be!' 'No!' you protests 'I'll help him!' 'You can't help everyone' he growls as his arm locks around you 'And I'm not about to let you die to help some demented sea creature.' You elbow him and he let's you go with a grunt. You travel outside the broken doors and it is not hard to track him. Anything in the hall such as statues or tables have been smashed. You go to run after him but a wall of sparkling droplets appear and one of them darts forward 'The elves will not give us aligators or candy or sparkly hair clips or...' 'or trees which yeild diamonds' or mountains of yo-yos!' 'We demand payment!' says the feisty sprite and his cohorts cry out 'YEA!' 'Go away you pests' Corbin snaps 'We have more important things to deal with.' The lead sprite makes a face 'So be it!!! ATTACK!' The sprites all launch at you but instead of hurting yo u they start grabbing up stuff. 'Stop!' Corbin howls as his sword is plucked from his hand and you find your own items being snatched away. The bows on your outfit, Corbin's hair tie,his bucle and belt, and amazingly enough your shoes. You fall into Corbin's arms as the last shoe is tugged off and look up and the ceiling where the little looters are admiring their things 'I got gum' 'I got a ring' 'I got....some useless rectangle or sorts' 'That's boring. Throw that away. It doesn't taste good.' You gasp. The Sprite has the tape recorder. It tosses it down and you do not tare free from Corbin in time to save it. It smashes to pieces on the tile floor. 'No! No! That was my evidence!' you shout and fall to the ground to collect it. No, it was not salvageable. Your evidence was ruined. A sprite sees your distress and tries to comfort you 'Aw, it was just a useless box. It's not like it was an alligator or anything.' 'Yes, that would have been cool.''erhaps we can trade the sword for an alligator.' Corbin curses them but they simply laugh and fly off with theit goods. Corbin walks over to you and kneels, he lays a comforting hand on your shoulder 'I am sorry. No doubt Gesborn's words would have been incriminating.''Would they be?' asks Gesborn. You look up to glare at him and the side of his mouth curves upward in a wicked smile. He pushes off of the wall and examines the ruined piece of technology. He tsks 'Ah, is that the contraption that would have spelled my doom? Such a small thing but I know appearances would be deceiving.' He kneels and you feel Corbin tense 'Gesborn, you dare not threaten us...''Not at all' he drawls 'I confess I am flattered by your depiction. Most people don't even consider me twice. Good or bad, you seem to credit me with the most unbelivable accomplishments.' He reaches forward and plucks up the pieces of the device 'I am, after all, just an archivist. Nothing special.' The device fits back together as if time reversed and he holds the complete tape recorder in hand 'Go ahead and tell your tale. For the only good a sarcastic confession will earn you is more scorn in the eyes of other elves. Can't you recognize mockery when you hear it? Whomever would suspect a dull little bookworm like me?' He pushes the device into your hands and rises up 'Now, if you would excuse me, I have things to do.' He turns about and in the sunlight you see his hair taking on different colors. You clutch the device in your hands and demand 'What do you really look like?' 'Like this, of course' he says with an abent wave 'After all isn't seeing believing.'-

(Your evidence would not stand up in Elfish court. And it wasn't as if his confession even sounded serious. I think he even said 'Yes, I invited extinct animals to our home.' That...didn't sound like anything but mockery. Given you have no other evidence and everyone thinks Gesborn is dull he isn't a likely candidate. He's made a long study of being average in perception and you don't have that many friends in court. Something to think about before you start accusing elves)

The ham sounds mouth watering....yum...

-blush-

--
Sweetness comes from the most succulent fruit that you loot from a wild tomatoe.